This invention relates generally to a waste collection system for use in a hospital or a similar environment where assorted waste items are collected and disposed of without creating a hazard for patients or hospital personnel.
In hospitals, clinics and similar medical institutions, contamination continues to be of utmost concern. Hazardous patient care products such as sharps, tongue depressors and collection vials are disposed of in an appropriate hazardous waste container. In addition to hazardous patient care products, non-hazardous matter, laundry and/or recyclable items are commonly collected or disposed of in separate and distinct containers. The separate containers may be scattered across the hospital which may present a challenge for a medical practitioner to locate a particular container. Such an arrangement could cause a medical practitioner to inadvertently or intentionally deposit waste items in the wrong container.
Waste collection systems having a plurality of individual containers in one location currently exist, such as the stackable refuse container system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,397. The '397 patent discloses a stackable refuse container system that includes multiple stackable containers, each of which may be designated for holding a particular recyclable material. The containers are vertically stacked and a cart can be provided for transporting the stacked assembly to and from a curb. Each container may include a removable lid, a front portion of the lid being hingedly attached to provide access to the container and a second portion formed to engage and support a bottom of a complementary container.
Nevertheless, there remains a need for improved refuse receptacle systems in general and methods for separately disposing medical waste of different types in respective containers.